DOGE News : In early March 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) faced intense pressure from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to eliminate key phone services, including claims processing and direct-deposit account changes.
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DOGE Pressures Social Security to Cut Phone Services, Then Backtracks Amid Backlash
Initial Push to Slash Phone Access
DOGE, a Trump administration initiative co-led by Musk, aimed to root out alleged fraud—such as Musk’s unproven claim of “150-year-olds collecting benefits.”
Reports from The Washington Post (March 12) indicated that DOGE staff demanded cuts, dismissing SSA suggestions for less drastic fixes during a tense meeting on March 11.
The move would have forced millions of elderly and disabled Americans—40% of whom file claims by phone—to rely on online platforms or in-person visits, despite many lacking internet access or mobility.
Partial Reversal After Public Outcry about DOGE Social Security
By March 13, following a Washington Post exposé and widespread criticism, the SSA backtracked on broad cuts. Instead, starting March 29, 2025, the agency will only end phone-based changes to direct-deposit routing numbers, citing security concerns—40% of direct-deposit fraud reportedly stems from phone updates.
Other services (e.g., claims inquiries, benefit questions) will remain intact, as confirmed in an SSA statement to Reuters and Barron’s.
The agency denied DOGE directly drove this narrower change, though skepticism persists given the timing and DOGE’s presence—10 staffers, including 4 special government employees, are now embedded at SSA, per Bloomberg.
Musk’s Role and Controversy
Musk, who has called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme” on platforms like X and in a Fox News interview (March 10), fueled the narrative of rampant fraud without evidence.
His DOGE team’s access to SSA data (and even Medicare databases, per The New York Times) has raised alarms about privacy and overreach.
After the backlash—amplified on X with sentiments like “taking from grandma and grandpa” (The Independent)—Musk and DOGE softened their stance, though critics argue the partial rollback masks broader cuts still in play, like a proposed 7,000-job reduction (12% of SSA staff) and shrinking regional offices from 10 to 4 (Investment News).
DOGE Social Security Phone Cut – Impact and Sentiment
The SSA’s toll-free line, handling 81.2 million calls in 2023, is a lifeline for vulnerable populations. Wait times, already up from 4 minutes in 2008 to 36 minutes in 2023 (Forbes), could worsen with DOGE’s efficiency drive, which has also disrupted IT systems and document processing (ProPublica).
X posts reflect outrage, with users decrying the burden on seniors and the disabled, while some defend DOGE’s anti-fraud intent.
The SSA insists it’s balancing security and service, urging use of its “my Social Security” online portal with two-factor authentication.
